LTL Language School || Learn Chinese in China

I studied at LTL Chengdu between for three weeks in April. For context, I'm 22, recently graduated, and ethnically Chinese (although I was born and raised in an English-speaking country, and English is my first language). The purpose of this trip was both to learn a language and actually relax for once on vacation. To me, studying at LTL Chengdu (I did 4-hour one-on-one lessons, from Monday to Friday) provided a good anchor for me to ground my day in, otherwise I would have run out of things to do in Chengdu. The teachers and class time are super flexible, so you can do in person or online classes. After my classes ended I just roamed around Chengdu and put what I'd learned that day into practice! A lot of my positive feelings about LTL Chengdu is thanks to my teacher, Shuyi Chen (陈姝熠) (I must've gotten the spelling right this time!). She was really welcoming and a great conversationalist. My Mandarin speaking skill improved so much because we would just chat about different things, where I'd gone the previous day, what life is like in China and and in my home country. Plus, being in a language actually provides you with a community of people who are all in the same boat as you, so it feels less isolating if you've traveled alone. To me, I found the experience abroad to be incredibly freeing. My recommendation if you go! If you're down for it, I really think it's good to live with a host family. The host family I was put with were so funny and I really miss them, although the host family lifestyle isn't for everyone. Also, if you can afford it, stay and learn for a longer time! I think your language skill tends to increase exponentially with time in a country. That's it from me! -- Grace

I moved to Chengdu with no idea that I was going to be able to speak Chinese. I started at level zero, basically with no ability to speak or read a single Chinese character. I couldn’t even understand someone speaking a single Chinese word to me at all. Meeting Alex老师 at LTL Chengdu has definitely changed my life, how I live here now, and shaped my viewpoint on the ability to speak Chinese. I personally think it’s one of the hardest languages to learn, and I was pretty nervous about it, with a little bit of doubt in myself as well. I was able to start understanding within 1.5 to 2 months and have been able to speak pretty full sentences within 3 to 4 months. Alex is very patient and makes learning Chinese approachable, practical, and truly fun while making sure my personal learning needs are fully met. She designs lively, relatable lessons that make every minute of learning enjoyable. From the very first lesson, I already felt so positive about how my Chinese-learning journey was going to be. I truly value my time with Alex every single day because her personality is not only sweet and funny, but she’s also very determined when it comes to helping you improve. She never rushed me, patiently correcting my pronunciation and grammar mistakes with warmth and encouragement, which quickly erased my fear of speaking. She really cares about getting to know you better over time and honestly, she truly feels like a friend of mine at this point. Nowadays, now that I’ve been in Chengdu for 4 to 5 months, I yearn to speak with the locals, go out by myself to shop, eat, and explore, and I can read a lot of things off street signs, restaurant menus, online purchases, etc. Who knew that learning to read Chinese characters would not be as intimidating as I first thought? She broke down the learning process by simply teaching me the most commonly used Chinese characters for daily life first and using fun, easy-to-follow methods to help me remember them. It’s exciting to be able to understand what people here are saying to me, and as a dancer, it’s a huge plus to finally know what’s going on in dance classes now haha. This is something I never thought I could achieve so quickly. Alex is more than just a language teacher, she helped me feel confident and at home in Chengdu. She deeply understands the struggles of a foreigner learning Chinese from scratch and always creates a relaxing, supportive learning environment. Thanks to Alex, I’ve not only gained practical Chinese skills but also fallen in love with the process of learning the language and connecting with the local culture. I’ve also earned myself a friend who makes my life in Chengdu so much richer and more fulfilling! Thank you so much, Alex老师, for all you do 🥹 Shout out to PanPan, Unicorn, Ying, Cora, and Alan for helping me practice my Chinese with them! They always come up to me to converse in Chinese so I can improve faster and become less shy about practicing my Chinese with anyone, including strangers. LTL Chengdu is such a great environment to immerse myself in the language, culture, and socialization before going out into the “big world” (aka Chengdu city haha). So much love for this school!! 🩷📝

My first time at LTL was back in 2016 as a complete beginner and now I returned for 10 weeks to improve on my HSK5. The teachers & staff continue to be great and I think that for complete beginners they got your back (good programs/books/teachers), for more advanced students the better you know and can articulate your weaknesses the better, as it can take some time for the teacher to identify your areas of improvement. Plus, if you help around changing the office’s water bottles you also get a certificate for that too — AI can translate but it cant change water bottles yet :)